Eddie Lafayette Parker and Ima Elizabeth Piegues
Husband Eddie Lafayette Parker 1
Born: 11 Mar 1887 - Linn Flat, Texas
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Died: 25 Jan 1979 - Fort Worth, Texas
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Marriage: 3 Jan 1909
Wife Ima Elizabeth Piegues 1
Born: 24 May 1891 - Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
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Died: 28 Jan 1977 - Fort Worth, Texas
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Children
1 F Hazel Pearl Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Spouse: Emmett Clark Johnston (1905-1976) 1
Marr: 10 Nov 1929 - Oklahoma
Evelyn Francis Edward Seymour and Edith Mary Parker
Husband Evelyn Francis Edward Seymour 2 3
Born: 1 May 1882
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Father: Edward Hamilton Seymour (1860-1931) 2 3
Mother: Rowena Wall ( - ) 2 3
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Wife Edith Mary Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Father: William Parker Jp
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1 M Francis William Seymour 2 3
Born: 28 Sep 1906
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Died: 12 May 1907
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2 M Algernon Francis Edward Seymour 2 3
Born: 22 Jul 1908
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Died: 14 Feb 1911
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3 M Percy Hamilton Seymour (details suppressed for this person)
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4 F Susan Mary Seymour (details suppressed for this person)
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Edward Parker and Elizabeth Wood
Husband Edward Parker 1
Born: Abt 1622
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Died: 1662 - New Haven, CT
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Father: William Parker (1582-Between 1625) 1
Mother:
Marriage: Jul 1646 - New Haven, CT
Wife Elizabeth Wood 1
Born: 26 Oct 1606 - Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England
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Died: 28 Jul 1677 - New Haven, CT
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Edward Parker
Husband Edward Parker 1
Born: Abt 1789
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Father: John Parker (1759-1832) 1
Mother: Susannah Middleton (1760-1834) 1
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Edward Parker and Elizabeth Parker*
Husband Edward Parker
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Wife Elizabeth Parker*
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1 F Lydia Parker
Born: 14 Apr 1652
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Died: After 1740
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Spouse: John Thomas ( -1712)
Marr: 12 Jan 1671 - New Haven, Conn
Edward Parker
Husband Edward Parker 4
Born: Abt 1567 4
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1 F Elizabeth Parker 4
Born: Abt 1593 4
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Spouse: Anthony Lister (Abt 1591- ) 4
Edwin Augustus Parker
Husband Edwin Augustus Parker 5
Born: 1859
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Died: 1919 - OK
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Father: Willis Parker (1819-1905) 5
Mother: Amelia Adeline Vannoy (1827-1897) 5
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Effie Parker
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Wife Effie Parker 5
Born: Abt 1921 - Pickens Co., SC
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Died: - Baltimore, MD
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Father: Oscar Augustus Parker (1877-1953) 5
Mother: Anna Aiken (1881-1962) 5
Marshall Pinckney Sherard and Elaine Beaty Parker
Husband Marshall Pinckney Sherard (details suppressed for this person)
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Father: Marshall Pinckney Sherard (1910-1970) 5
Mother: Martha Elizabeth Warde
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Other Spouse: Patricia Dianne Thomason
Wife Elaine Beaty Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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1 M Marshall Pinckney Sherard (details suppressed for this person)
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2 F Jessica Parker Sherard (details suppressed for this person)
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Archibald Rutledge and Eleanor Stevenson Parker
Husband Archibald Rutledge 1
Born: Abt 1912
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Died: 1959
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Father: Archibald Hamilton Rutledge (1883-1973) 1
Mother: Florence Louise Hart (Abt 1885-1935) 1
Marriage:
Wife Eleanor Stevenson Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Father: ?? Parker (Abt 1860- ) 1
Mother: ?? Forney (Abt 1865- ) 1
General Notes (Husband)
Archibald Rutledge, Junior served in the Navy during Worl d War II, and returned to Hampton Plantation after the wa r with his wife. He is buried there.
Eliada Parker
Husband (details suppressed for this person)
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Wife Eliada Parker 1 6 7
Born: 22 Apr 1712 6 7
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Died: 24 Mar 1712 6 7
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Father: Eliphalet Parker (Abt 1681-1757) 1 6 7
Mother: Hannah Beach (1684-1749) 1 6 7
Eliphalet Parker
Husband Eliphalet Parker 1 6 7
Born: 14 Jan 1721 6 7
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Father: Eliphalet Parker (Abt 1681-1757) 1 6 7
Mother: Hannah Beach (1684-1749) 1 6 7
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Victor Turnbill and Elisa Parker
Husband Victor Turnbill (details suppressed for this person)
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Wife Elisa Parker 5
Born: 27 Feb 1895
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Father: Samuel Houston Parker (1864-1936) 5
Mother: Delaney Elizabeth Almond (1874-1948) 5
Other Spouse: Paul Lloyd
Eliza Jane Parker
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Wife Eliza Jane Parker
Born: 21 Dec 1863 - Ladoga, Montgomery County, Indiana 8
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Died: 9 May 1864 - Ladoga, Montgomery County, Indiana 8
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Father: John Mccoy Parker (1825-1878)
Mother: Eliza Jane Anderson (1836-1864)
General Notes (Wife)
[bobspu.ged]
Individual note: 1. Virginia KORNS, 2402 E. Rahn Rd., Kettering, OH 45440 Source: Elizabeth (Ann) Gilchrist-Jun 1998-Andersn.GEDParmer.GED-11/8/1999
William Phillips Maj. and Elizabeth Parker
Husband William Phillips Maj. 1
Born: Abt 1588
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Died: 13 Nov 1683 - Boston, MA
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Marriage: Between 1604 and 1636
Wife Elizabeth Parker 1
Born: Abt 1588
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Died: Between 1622 and 1683
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Children
1 F Elizabeth Phillips 1
Born: 1619 - England
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Died: 30 Jul 1678 - Taunton, MA
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Spouse: James Walker (1618-1692) 1
Marr: 1646 - Taunton, MA
Edward Waits and Elizabeth Parker
Husband Edward Waits
Born: 1810 - Harrison County, Kentucky 9
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Died: 1889 - Woodford County, Kentucky 9
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Father: John Waits (1778-1855)
Mother: Mary McShane (1779-1850) 1
Marriage:
Wife Elizabeth Parker
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1 F Sarah Elizabeth Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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2 F Rebecca Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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3 M John Franklin Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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4 F Nancy Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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5 F Martha Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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6 M Henry Parker Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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7 M William Francis Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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8 F Mary Louise Waits (details suppressed for this person)
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Elizabeth Parker
Husband (details suppressed for this person)
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Wife Elizabeth Parker 10
Born: 1748 - Rushmere St Andrews 10
Christened: 3 Jul 1748 - Rushmere St Andrews 10
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Father: Henry Parker ( - ) 10
Mother:
James Madison Taylor and Elizabeth Ann Parker
Husband James Madison Taylor 5
Born: 25 Oct 1821
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Died: 14 Jan 1907
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Wife Elizabeth Ann Parker 5
Born: 17 Sep 1843 - Cherokee Co., NC
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Died: 1882 - Cherokee Co., NC
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Father: Jonathan Parker (1792-1886) 5
Mother: Leoma Blythe (1797-1880) 5
Children
1 F Elizabeth Taylor 5
Born: 17 Sep 1845
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Died: 20 Jan 1929
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Spouse: William Henry Hardin ( - ) 5
2 F Ivy Ann Taylor (details suppressed for this person)
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3 F Martha Taylor (details suppressed for this person)
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General Notes (Husband)
Represented the Eastern Band Cherokee in Washington, DC
Elizabeth Gresham Parker
Husband (details suppressed for this person)
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Wife Elizabeth Gresham Parker 5
Born: 1823
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Died: 1868
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Father: Joseph Parker (Abt 1785- ) 5
Mother:
Elizabeth Jane Parker
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Wife Elizabeth Jane Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Father: John Brown Parker (1824-1891) 5
Mother: Rebecca Cathey (1820-1871) 5
Robert Rose and Elizabeth Potter Parker
Husband Robert Rose 1
Born: Abt 1594 - Elmswell, Suffolk, England
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Died: 4 Apr 1665 - Branford, New Haven, CT
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Marriage: 7 Jun 1664 - New Haven Colony, CT
Other Spouse: Margery Everard (Abt 1594-Abt 1644) 1 - Abt 1618 - London, Middlesex County, England
Other Spouse: Elizabeth ( -1677) 1 - After 7 Jun 1664
Wife Elizabeth Potter Parker 1
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Died: 28 Jul 1677 - New Haven Colony, CT
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General Notes (Husband)
Robert and Margery Rose came to America on the ship Fr a n c i s, arriving 30 April 1634 at Plymouth or Boston, Ma ss ac hu s etts. Here is a list of passengers on the ship:
THE FRANCIS
------------------------------------------------------ - - - - ------------ ---------- 30 April 1634. Passenger s o f t h e Fr ancis of Ipswich, Mr. John Cutting, captain , bou nd f o r Ne w England (landed at Plymouth or Boston , MA): f rom t h e Pubi c Record Office, Kew, Richmond, Sur rey TW9 4 DU, En gl and)
John Beetes aged 40 William Haulton 23 Nicholas Jenn i n g s 2 2 William Westwoode 28 and Bridgett his wife 32 , Jo h n L ea 1 3, Grace Newell 13 Cleeare Draper 30 Rober t Ros e 4 0 an d Mar gery his wife 40, John Rose 15, Rober t Ros e 15 , Eliza beth R ose 13, Mary Rose 11, Samuell Ros e 9, S ara h Rose 7 , Danyel l Rose 3, Darcas Rose 2 John B ernar d 36 a nd Mary h is wife 3 8, Fayth Newell 14, Henr y Hawar d 7 Will iam Freebo urne 40 an d Mary his wife 33 , Mary Fre ebourne 7 , Sarah Fre ebourne 2 , John Aldburg h 14; Anthon y White 2 7 Edwawrd Bugb ye 40 an d Rebecca hi s wife 32, Sa rah Bugby e 4 Abraham Newe ll 50 an d Franci s his wife 40 , Abraham Ne well 8, John Newe ll 5, Isa ack e Newell 22 Jus t Houlding 2 3 (see Note) John P ease 27 , F ayth Clearke 15 , Robert Peas e 3, Darcas Greene 1 5 Ro bert Wi nge 60 and J udith his wif e 43 John Greene 27 Ro b ert Pease 2 7 Hugh Ma son 28 and Hes ter his wife 22 Rowla n d Stebing 40 a nd Sar ah his wife 43 , Thomas Stebing 14 , Sar ah Stebing 11 , Eli zabeth Stebin g 6, John Stebing 8 , Mary W inche 15 Thom a s Sherwood 48 an d Alice his wif e 47, Anna Sh erwood 14 , Ros e Sherwood 11 , Thomas Sherwo od 10, Rebecca S herwoo d 9 Thoma s King 19 J ohn Mapes 2 1 Mary Blosse 40, Ric har d Blosse 11 R obert Co e 38 and A nna his wife, John Co e 8 , Robert Coe 7, B enjami n Co e 5 Mary Onge 27 Thomas Bo yde n 21 Richard Wattli n 2 8 Jo hn Lyvermore 28 Richard Pep per 2 7 and Mary his wif e 3 0 , Mary Pepper 3 1/2, Stephe n Becket t 11 Richard Hould i n g 25 Judeth Garnett 26; Eliz abeth Hamo nd 47e limped , h e dro oled, he stuttered and wa s constantl y ill. Hi s fami ly memb ers mistook these phys ical debiliti es as r eflectiv e of ment al infirmity and ge nerally kept hi m ou t of the p ublic eye a s an embarrassme nt. A sign of th i s familial di sdain is tha t he remaine d under guardians hip , like a woma n, even afte r he had re ached the age o f major ity. Suetoni us, in particu lar, pre serves comment s of Anton ia, his mot her, and Livia , his g randmother, w hich are part icularly c ruel in their as sess ment of th e boy. From the sa me source , however, it emer g es that A ugustus suspected tha t ther e was more to this "i d iot" t han met the eye. Neverth eless , Claudius spent hi s ent ir e childhood and youth in al mos t complete seclusio n. Th e n ormal rites de passage of a n i mperial prince cam e an d wen t without official notice, a n d Claudius receive d n o summon s to public office or orde r s to command troo p s on the front iers. When he assumed t h e toga virilis , fo r instance, he wa s carried to the Capi to l in a litt er a t night; the normal p rocedure was to b e le d into th e For um by one's father or gu ardian in ful l publi c view . Ho w he spent the voluminous fre e time of h is yout h i s reve aled by his later character: h e read vora ciousl y . He bec ame a scholar of considerable abi lity an d comp ose d work s on all subjects in the liberal arts , esp ecia lly hi stor y; he was the last person we know of wh o co ul d read Et ru scan. These skills, and the knowledge o f g o vernmenta l i nstitutions he acquired from studying hist o ry , were t o sta nd him in good stead when he came to po wer.
It should not be forgotten that Claudius's wing of t h e f a m ily suffered terribly in the internal struggles f o r suc ce ss ion that racked the imperial house. His fath e r died o n c amp aign when Claudius was only one year ol d , and his b elov ed b rother, Germanicus, succumbed unde r s uspicious ci rcums tance s in AD 19. His only other sib lin g to reach adu lthood , Livi lla, became involved wit h Seja nus and paid th e ultim ate pri ce in the wake of th e latte r's fall from gr ace in A D 31. Th rough all this t urmoil C laudius survived , primaril y throug h being ignor ed as a n embarrassment an d an idiot.
Claudius's fortunes changed somewhat when his unstab l e n e p hew, Gaius (Caligula), came to power in the spri n g o f 3 7 A. D. Gaius, it seems, liked to use his bookis h , frai l un cle a s the butt of cruel jokes and, in keepi n g with t his p atter n of behavior, promoted him to a suf fe ct consul ship o n 1 Ju ly 37 A.D. At 46 years of age, i t w as Claudiu s's fir st publ ic office. Despite this sort ie i nto publi c life, h e seeme d destined for a relativel y qui et and sec luded dota ge when , in January 41, event s overt ook him.
Accession (24-25 January, 41 A.D.) Arguably the most i m p o r tant period of Claudius's reign was its first few h ou r s . Th e events surrounding his accession are worthy o f d et ai led d escription, since they revealed much abou t th e tru e n atur e of the Augustan Principate.
In the early afternoon of 24 January 41 A.D., the em p e r o r Gaius was attending a display of dancers in a the at e r n ea r the palace. Claudius was present. Shortly bef or e l unc h ti me, Claudius took his leave and the empero r de cide d th at he , too, would adjourn for a bath. As Ga ius w as ma kin g his wa y down an isolated palace corrido r he wa s surr ound ed and cu t down by discontented member s of hi s own bo dygua rd. In th e aftermath of the assassi nation - - the fir st ope n murder o f a Roman emperor -- t here wa s widesprea d pani c and confusi on. The German ele ments o f the emperor 's body guard, who wer e fiercely loy al to th eir chief, wen t on th e rampage and ki lled indis criminate ly. Soldiers o f the lar ger Praetorian Gu ard be gan lootin g the imperia l palace. Ac cording to the bes t- known tradi tion, some Gua rdsmen foun d Claudius cowerin g b ehind a cu rtain and, on t he spot, the y declared hi m their e mpero r and carried hi m off to thei r camp. In t his story , a ha pless Claudius fa lls into powe r entirel y as a resul t o f accident, and ver y much agains t his wi ll. It is not h a rd to see why, wit h its implicit t hem e of recusatio imp erii , it is the stor y of his accessi o n that Claudius him self fa vored. Vestige s, however, ca n b e traced of anothe r traditio n that paint s a somewha t diffe rent picture. I n this version , the Guar dsmen mee t in thei r camp and dis cuss the situatio n facin g them i n light of G aius's murde r. Their pleasant, c ity-b ased t erms of militar y servic e were in jeopardy. The y nee de d an emperor. Fixin g thei r intentions on Claudius a s t h e only surviving matur e me mber of the Julio-Claudian h o us e, they sent out a par t y of troops to find him and b ri n g him back to their cam p s o he could be acclaimed em pero r , which is what happen ed. I n this story, the eleva tion o f C laudius to the purp le wa s a purposeful plan o n the par t o f the soldiers, ev en if C laudius remain s a passive an d relu ctant partner i n the who le process.
The possibility has to be entertained that Claud i u s w a s a far more active participant in his own elevat i o n tha n e ither of these traditions let on. There is ju s t r easo n to s uspect that he may even have been involv e d in p lanni ng th e murder of Gaius -- his departure fr o m the the ater m inute s before the assassination appear s a ltogethe r too for tuitou s. These possibilities, howev er , must rema in pure sp eculati on, since the ancient evi den ce offers no thing expli cit in t he way of support fo r the m. On the oth er hand, w e can hardl y expect them to , give n the later pa ttern of ev ents. The wh ole issue o f Claudi us's possible i nvolvement i n the death o f Gaiu s and hi s own subsequent a cclamation b y the Praetori a n Guard mus t, therefore, remai n moot.
Despite the circumstances that brought him there, th e h o u r s following Claudius's arrival at the Praetoria n Cam p a n d h is acceptance as emperor by the Senate ar e vita l one s f or t he history of the Principate. Event s could h ave ta ke n a ver y different course, but that th ey worke d out a s the y did sp eaks volumes as to how fa r seven dec ades o f the Au gustan Pr incipate had remove d Rome from th e possi bility o f a retur n to the so-calle d free Republic.
News of Gaius's death prompted a meeting of the Sena t e . I n itially, there was talk of declaring the Republi c r es tor e d and dispensing with emperors altogether. The n, h owe ver , v arious senators began proposing that the y be ch ose n a s th e next princeps. Debate was in progres s when n ew s reac hed t he senators that the Guard had mad e the dec isi on fo r them : Claudius, the soldiers' choice , was sitt in g in th e Praeto rian Camp. The main historic al difficul t y in wha t happene d next is due to confusio n in Josephus ' s accoun t (which i s the fullest). In on e version, the S en ate sen t two tribune s to the Camp t o demand that Claud iu s step do wn. Once in th e Camp, how ever, the tribunes w er e cowed b y the ardent supp ort fo r Claudius among the s old iers and i nstead requested t ha t he come to the Senat e t o be ratifie d as emperor. In Jo s ephus's alternate ver sion , however, He rod Agrippa is s ummon ed by the senator s an d employed as a n envoy betwee n the Cam p and the Sena te. C learly, Josephu s is conveyi ng two tradit ions abou t thes e events, one Roma n (featur ing the tribunes) , th e other J ewish (highlightin g the r ole of Herod Agrippa ) . Suetonius , naturally enough , fol lows the Roman tradit ion , as doe s Dio in his main acc ou nt; interestingly, th e latte r show s awareness of some p a rticipation on the pa rt of Hero d Ag rippa in a later pa ssag e.
Regardless of how the negotiations were conducted, t h e S e n ate quickly realized it was powerless in the pres en c e o f se veral thousand armed men supporting Claudius' s c an dida cy. T he impotence that the esteemed council ha d ex per ience d tim e and again when dealing with the mili tar y dyna sts o f the L ate Republic was once more reveale d t o all, a nd th e meetin g dissolved with the fate of th e Em pire lef t undec ided. Whe n the Senate met again late r tha t night i n the Te mple of Ju piter Victor, it foun d its nu mbers muc h depleted , since man y had fled the ci ty to the ir countr y estates. T he senator s assessed thei r militar y strength : they had thr ee or fou r urban cohor ts under t he comman d of the City Pre fect, numb ering per haps 3, 00 0 men. Wit h these, they occupi ed the Foru m an d Palatine . Plans wer e laid to arm some ex- slaves to p r ovide reinf orcements. B y these actions the sen ators we re ac ceptin g that suprem e power in post-Augustan R ome c ould be a chi eved only by m ilitary force; all questio n s of legal nic e ties were irrel evant. But the Senate co ul d not contro l thei r troops -- t hey all deserted to th e Pra etorian Gu ard, wit h whom the y shared the Camp.
Now completely powerless, the senators hurried o f f t o t h e Praetorian Camp to pay their respects to Clau di us . O n 2 5 January 41 A.D. Claudius was formally inves te d wi th a ll t he powers of the princeps, becoming Ti. C lau diu s Caesa r Aug ustus Germanicus. (Since Claudius ha d n o lega l clai m to i t whatsoever, the appearance of "C aesa r" in h is impe rial na me marks the first step in thi s wor d's tran smutatio n fro m a family name to a title de notin g ruler, a nd so beg in s a tradition that stretche s into t he modern e ra with "K ais er," "Czar," and possib ly "Shah. ")
These events have been treated in some detail beca u s e o f t heir immense historical importance. Gaius was t h e f irs t emp eror of Rome to be openly murdered, and Cla ud ius' s ac cessio n marks the first overt and large-scal e in trusi on o f the mi litary into post-Augustan politics . Th e basi c fac t of the P rincipate, which had always be en im plici t in th e Augustan s ettlement but heretofore c areful ly dis guised , was now mad e plain: the emperor's p ositio n ultima tely re sted not on co nsensus but on the s words o f the sol diers wh o paid him homa ge. From one per spective , the Prin cipate ha d been reveale d for what i t truly wa s -- an exer cise in ma naging the mili tary's l oyalties, a nd not a for m of governm ent rooted in la w an d consensus . The Senate , in attemptin g to block Claudi u s with troop s of their ow n, had acquiesc ed in this str uctur e of powe r. For ever af terward, emperor s sat on th e thron e on th e sufferance o f the troops they c ommanded , and a los s o f army loyalty n ecessarily entaile d a los s of power, us u ally accompanie d by the loss of th e incu mbent's life. B ut t he harder les sons in these realit ie s lay in the futu re; fo r the momen t order had been rest o red, and Claudiu s embarke d on his r eign in relative se curi ty.
The Early Years: Britain, Freedmen, and Messali n a ( A D 4 1 - 48) Among Claudius's first acts was the app re hens io n an d execution of Gaius's assassins. Whateve r hi s opin io n of t heir actions, politics and pietas req uire d that C lau dius no t be seen to condone men who murd ere d an empero r an d a memb er of his own family. He als o dis played immed iat e understan ding of the centrality o f th e military to h is p osition an d sought to create a m ilita ry image for him sel f that his pr ior sheltered exis tenc e had denied him. P repa rations got un der way soon a fte r his accession fo r a majo r military exped ition int o Bri tain, perhaps spark ed by a n attempted revol t of th e gove rnor of Dalmatia, L . Arrunti us Camillus Scribo nia nus, i n 42 A.D.. The invasi on itself , spearheaded by fo u r legi ons, commenced in th e summer o f 43 and was to la st fo r d ecades, ultimately fa lling shor t of the annexat ion of t h e whole island (if ind eed that wa s Claudius' s final obj ecti ve at the outset). T his move mar ked th e first majo r additio n to the territor y of the Roma n em pire since th e reign of A ugustus. Claudi us himself to o k part in the c ampaign, arrivi ng in the wa r zone wit h an e ntourage of e x-consuls in the l ate summe r of 43 A .D. Afte r a parade a t Camulodunum (Colche ster) t o impre ss the nati ves, he re turned to Rome to celebr at e a triu mph in 44 A.D . His mil itary credentials had be e n firml y established.
The sources are united in portraying Claudius a s a d u p e t o his imperial freedmen advisors as well as t o hi s wi ve s. I t is possible that the hostile stance o f the e lit e tow ard C laudius extended back into his reig n -- h e was , afte r all , a usurper who had been foiste d on th e aristo crats b y th e soldiers. If so, Claudius' s relianc e on hi s freedme n ma y have stemmed from this c ircumstanc e, in th at the ex- slave s were (as far as he w as concerne d) more t rustworth y than t he sullen aristocr acy. For wha tever reas ons, ther e is no do ubt that Claud ius's reign i s the firs t era of th e great imp erial free dman. To be su re, the sec retariat ha d existed bef ore Cl audius and memb ers of it ha d achieved s ome prominenc e ( notably Helico n and Callistu s under Gaius) , but the ri s e of powerful i ndividuals lik e Narcissus, Pol ybius, an d Pal las was a di stinctive mar k of Claudius's rei gn. Th e power o f these m en was demonst rated early on whe n th e emperor chos e Narc issus as his en voy to the legion s a s they hesitated t o e mbark on their i nvasion of Britai n . According to our so u rces, the freedme n were frequent ly t o exert less benefi cen t influences thr oughout Claud ius's r eign.
In 38 A.D. Claudius had married Valeria Messalina , a s c i o n of a noble house with impressive familial con nectio n s . Me ssalina bore him a daughter (Octavia, bor n in 39 ) a n d a so n (Britannicus, born in 41): she was t herefor e th e m other o f the heir-apparent and enjoyed in fluenc e for t ha t reason . In the sources, Messalina is p ortraye d as lit tl e more tha n a pouting adolescent nymph omania c who hold s wi ld partie s and arranges the death s of form er lovers o r tho se who sco rn her advances; an d all thi s while her cu ckolde d husband b lunders on in b lissful ig norance. Recent ly, att empts have b een made t o rehabilita te Messalina a s an astut e player of c ourt p olitics who u sed sex as a we apon, but i n the end we h av e little way o f knowing the tr uth. What w e can say is th a t either he r love of parties ( on the adole scent model ) or h er byzan tine scheming (on th e able courti er model ) brough t her d own. While Claudius w as away in Ost ia i n AD 48, Mess alin a had a party in the p alace in the co u rse of which a ma r riage ceremony was perf ormed (or playa c ted) between herse l f and a consul-designa te, C. Silius . Wh atever the inten tion s behind it, the pol itical rami ficatio ns of this fol ly wer e sufficiently grav e to caus e the summ ary executio n of Mess alina, Silius, an d assor ted hangers-o n (orchest rated, telli ngly, by the fr eedma n Narcissus). Cl audius w as now withou t a wife.
The Rise of Agrippina and Claudius's Death (48-54 A . D . ) I n our sources, the death of Messalina is present e d a s i niti ating a scramble among the freedmen, each wi sh in g to p lac e his preferred candidate at Claudius's si d e a s the ne w emp ress. In the end, it was Pallas who pr ev aile d when h e convi nced Claudius to marry Agrippina t h e Young er. The m arriag e took place within months of Me ss alina' s execution . Agripp ina was a colorful figure wi t h extensi ve and far-r eaching i mperial connections: sh e w as the dau ghter of Clau dius's bro ther, Germanicus, a n d a sister o f Gaius Caligula , by whom s he had been exi le d for involve ment in the consp iracy of Gae tulicus; mo reo ver, she had b een married before . She therefo re brou gh t to the marriag e with Claudius -- w hich necessita t e d a change in the la w to allow uncles to m arry their br o t hers' daughters - - a son, L. Domitius Aheno barbus. Ag ri ppin a's ambitions f or this son proved the undo ing o f Cla udius.
The years between his marriage to Agrippina in 4 8 a n d h i s death in 54 were difficult ones for Claudius . Whe th e r o r not sources are right to portray him a s a dupe o f h i s wiv es and freedmen throughout his reign , there ca n b e li ttle d oubt that Agrippina's powerful p ersonalit y domi nate d Claudi us's last years. Her positio n, openl y influen tia l in a mann er unlike any previous e mpress, w as recogni ze d by those att uned to imperial pol itics, an d she appear s m ore and more pr ominently in off icial insc riptions an d coin s. In 50 the Sen ate voted he r the titl e "Augusta, " the fir st prominent impe rial wom an to hol d this title s ince Livi a -- and the latte r ha d only hel d it after Augus tus's deat h. She greeted for e ign embassi es to the empero r at Rome fr om her own trib unal , and tho se greetings wer e recorded i n official doc uments ; she al so wore a gold-em broidered mil itary cloa k at offici al fu nctions. It is a s ign of her ove rt infl uence that a n e w colony on the Rhin e bore her name . Agr ippina's powerf ul p osition facilitate d the advanceme n t of her son Domit ius an d was, in turn, s trengthened b y it . Claudius alrea dy ha d a natural son, Br itannicus , who wa s still a minor . Domiti us, at 13, was th ree yea rs older. N ow Claudius b egan to adv ance Domitius t hroug h various sign s of favor , the most impo rtant being h i s adoption as Claud ius's so n on 25 February A D 50. Henc e forth Domitius was kn own a s Nero Claudius Drusu s Germa nic us Caesar and known t o po sterity simply as "Nero" . B ut Cl audius openly advance d N ero in other ways, too: t h e emper or held the consulsh i p in 51, which was the yea r Ner o too k the "toga of manh ood ," and that event was i tself sta ge d several months be for e the customary age fo r Roman teen a gers; Nero was gra nte d imperium proconsula re outside th e ci ty, addressed t he Se nate, appeared wit h Claudius at c ircu s games (whil e Britan nicus appeare d still in the tog a o f a minor), an d was hail ed as "Lea der of the Youth" (p rince ps iuventut is) on the c oinage ; in AD 53 Nero marrie d Claudi us's dau ghter, Octavia . A ll of these are sure sig ns of pref erenc e in the ever-u n stable imperial successio n schemes. T h e main difficult y fo r modern scholars lies i n how to ex plai n Claudius' s favori ng of Nero over his nat ural son , Britann icus; t he reason s remain a matter of int ense de bate.
No matter what the reasons were, there can be littl e d o u b t that Nero, despite his tender age, had been cle arl y m ar ke d out as Claudius's successor. Agrippina, acc ordi ng t o T aci tus, now decided it was time to dispose o f Cla udiu s t o allo w Nero to take over. The ancient acco unts a re co nfus ed -- a s is habitual in the cases of hid den an d dubio us de aths o f emperors -- but their genera l drif t is tha t Claudi us wa s poisoned with a treated mu shroom , that h e lingere d a whil e and had to be poisone d a seco nd time b efore dyin g on 13 O ctober 54 A.D. At n oon tha t same day , the sixteen -year-ol d Nero was acclai med empe ror in a ca refully orches trated pi ece of politi cal theat er. Alread y familiar to th e army an d the publi c, he face d no seriou s challenges to h is authori ty.
Claudius and the Empire The invasion and annexatio n o f B r i tain was by far the most important and signific an t eve n t i n Claudius's reign. But several other issue s de serv e at tent ion: his relationship with and treatmen t o f the a risto cracy , his management of the provinces a nd t heir inh abitan ts, an d his judicial practices, and h is bu ilding ac tivitie s. Befo re looking at these subject s, how ever, we s hould no te tha t the long-lived notion t hat Cla udius initi ated a co heren t policy of centralizat ion in t he Roman Emp ire -- evi dence d in the centralizat ion of pr ovincial admi nistratio n and ju dicial actions , in the cre ation of a dep artmenta l bureaucra cy, his in terference i n financial affa irs, an d so on -- ha s bee n decisively di sproven by a rece nt biogr aphy of Claudi u s. Whatever acti ons Claudius too k in regar d to the vario u s wings of gove rnment, he did s o without an y unifyin g polic y of central ization in mind.
Claudius's relationship with the Senate did not g e t o f f t o a good start -- given the nature of his succe ss io n an d th e early revolt of Scribonianus with its ens uin g s how t rial s -- and it seems likely that distrust o f th e ar istocr acy i s what impelled Claudius to elevat e the r ole o f his f reedme n. During his reign, however , Claudiu s mad e effort s to conc iliate Rome's leading co uncil, bu t he al so embark ed on prac tices that redounde d to his de triment , especiall y those o f sponsoring th e entrance me n conside red unworth y into th e Order and h earing delicat e cases be hind close d doors (i n camera) . In the last ana lysis, th e figures spe ak for them selve s: 35 senators an d several h undred Knight s were driv e n to suicide or exec uted durin g the reign. Th e posthum ous v ilification of Cl audius in t he aristocrati c tradit ion als o bespeaks a dee p bitternes s and indicate s that , ultimately , Claudius' s relationshi p with the Senat e s howed little imp rovemen t over time. Hi s reviving and h o lding the censorshi p i n 47-48 is typica l of the way th e re lationship betwee n S enate and empero r misfired: Cla udius , no doubt, thoug ht h e was adhering t o ancient tra dition , but the emperor -censo r only succeede d in elicit ing odiu m from those h e was asses sing.
Claudius was remembered (negatively) by tradition a s b e i n g noticeably profligate in dispensing grants of R oma n c it iz enship to provincials; he also admitted "long -hai red " Ga ul s into the senatorial order, to the disple asur e o f the s nob bish incumbents. Both of these practic es de mons trate hi s co ncern for fair play and good gover nmen t for t he provin ces , despite his largely sedentar y reign : unde r Claudius a re a ttributed the first issue s of stan ding or ders (mandata ) fro m emperor to governor . In the o rganizat ion of the pro vinces , Claudius appear s to have p referre d direct administ ratio n over client k ingship. Und er him t he kingdoms of Mau retani a, Lycia, N oricum, and T hrace wer e converted into pr ovinces . Stabl e kingdoms, su ch as Bosp orus and Cilicia, we re lef t unt ouched. A goo d example o f the pattern is Hero d Agrip p a I. This clien t prince ha d grown up at Rome and h ad b een a warded tetra rchic land s in Galilee by Gaius (Cali g ula). A s we saw ab ove, he ha d been involved in the acces s ion of Cl audius a nd, as a re ward for services rendered , h e was grant ed Ju daea and Sam aria in addition to hi s forme r holdings . H e fell from gra ce, however, when h e suspiciou sly exte nded J erusalem's wa lls and invited o ther eastern k ings t o a confe rence at Ti berias. He die d suddenly in 44 A .D. , after whic h his form er kingdom a gain came under dire c t Roman rule.
One feature of Claudius's reign that the sources parti c u l a rly criticize is his handling of judicial matters . Wh i l e h e was certainly diligent in attending to heari ngs a n d c our t proceedings -- he was constantly presen t in cou r t an d hea rd cases even during family celebrati ons and f es tal d ays - - the sources accuse him of interf ering undu l y with c ases , of not listening to both side s of a case , o f makin g ridic ulous and/or savage rulings , and of hea rin g delicat e case s in closed-door privat e sessions wit h onl y his advi sors pr esent. The most cel ebrated and inf amou s of the latt er case s is that of Val erius Asiaticus , th e Gallic ex-cons ul and o ne-time frie nd of Claudius , who f ell from grace i n 47, repu tedly a t Messalina's in stigatio n. His case was h eard in th e em peror's bedroom a nd Asiati cus was forced t o suicide. E v en if a survey o f survivin g rulings by Claudi us do no t sho w him making s illy decisi ons, his judicial pr actic es caugh t such atten tion that Se neca's Apocolocyntos i s ends wit h a courtroo m scene with C laudius as the acc used : he is no t allowe d to make his def ence, is convict ed, an d condemne d to b e a powerless court room clerk. Su ch an ima ge must hav e b een most pleasing t o the senator ial imaginat ion.
Finally, there are Claudius's building activities. P u b l i c building was de rigueur for Roman emperors, and a nc ie n t a ccounts of individual reigns routinely includ e men ti o n of i mperial munificence. Matters hydraulic ac coun t fo r C laudius 's greatest constructional achievemen ts, i n th e for m of a n ew aqueduct for the city of Rome , a ne w por t at Po rtus nea r Ostia, and the draining o f the Fuc ine La ke. Th e sources a re at pains to highligh t the almo st cata strophi c outcome o f the latter project , but its s cale can not be d enied. Sueto nius's assessmen t that "hi s public wo rks wer e grandiose an d necessary r ather tha n numerous" i s entirel y correct.
Conclusion Robert Graves' fictional characterizati o n o f C l audius as an essentially benign man with a kee n i ntel lige nc e has tended to dominate the wider public' s vi ew o f thi s em peror. Close study of the sources, how ever , reve al s a somew hat different kind of man. In addi tio n to hi s sch olarly an d cautious nature, he had a cru el s treak, a s sugg ested by h is addiction to gladiatoria l gam es and hi s fondn ess for wat ching his defeated oppo nent s executed . He condu cted closed- door (in camera ) t rial s of leadin g citizens t hat frequentl y resulted in t hei r ruin or deat hs -- an unpr ecedented an d tyrannica l patt ern of behavior . He had his w ife Messalin a execut ed, an d he personally p resided ove r a kangaroo cour t i n the Pr aetorian Camp in w hich many o f her hangers-on l o st thei r lives. He abandone d his own so n Britannicus t o hi s fat e and favored the adv ancement of N ero as his s uccesso r . While he cannot be bla med for the di sastrou s way Nero 's r ule turned out, he mus t take some res pons ibility fo r puttin g that most unsuitab le youth on th e t hrone. At t he same tim e, his reign was m arked by som e n otable succe sses: the inva sion of Britain , stabilit y and g ood govern ment in the provi nces, and suc cessfu l managemen t of clie nt kingdoms. Claudiu s, then, i s a m ore enigmati c figur e than the other Julio-Cl audian e mpe rors: at once c arefu l, intelligent, aware and re spectf u
Ella Parker
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Wife Ella Parker 5
Born: 1888
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Mother: Sarah E. Entrekin (1868-1934) 5
Elmina Parker
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Wife Elmina Parker 5
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Elwood Gilliam Parker and Ellen Jean Rochester
Husband Elwood Gilliam Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Wife Ellen Jean Rochester (details suppressed for this person)
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2 M Richard Elwood Parker (details suppressed for this person)
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Benjamin Stone and Emma Parker
Husband Benjamin Stone 11
Born: 12 Aug 1706 - Of, Groton, Wocester, Mass 11
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Father: Simon Stone (1656-1741) 11
Mother: Sarrah Farnsworth ( -1731) 11
Marriage: 13 May 1736 - Of, Groton, Wocester, Mass 11
Wife Emma Parker 11
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Emma Parker
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Wife Emma Parker 1
Born: Abt 1795
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1 F Henrietta Parker Lynch 1
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Samuel Brashear Roper and Emma Parker
Husband Samuel Brashear Roper 12 13
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Mother: Elizabeth Myra Sullins (Abt 1817-1894) 12 13
Marriage: 7 Nov 1866 - , Shelby, AL
Noted events in his life were:
• Occupation, a farmer, 1862
• Education, University Of Alabama, , , , , ,
Wife Emma Parker 12 13
AKA: Emma (Parker) Roper
Born: Abt 1834 - Wetumpka, , AL
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1 F Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Roper 12 13
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War: CSA Civil War 2nd AL Cal.
Place: Columbiana, Shelby Co. AL in 1880 US census
General Notes for Child Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Roper
Info from Myra DANIEL, South Boston, VA. Date:01 JUL 2000
Emma Jean Parker
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Emma L Parker
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Emmer Woodie Parker
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Wife Emmer Woodie Parker 5
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Father: Thomas Parker (1884-1957) 5
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